Spencer Grammer Relishes the 'Greek' Life

By Jeff Ferrantino on April 13, 2009

Spencer Grammer knows a thing or two about life throwing a few curveballs your way every now and then.

Just a few years ago, Grammer was a theater major at Marymount Manhattan College when she landed the role of Lucy Montgomery on "As the World Turns." She eventually left the CBS soap in 2006, only to soon land her first primetime gig on the ABC Family series "Greek." Both roles have kept her from finishing the last 20 or so credits needed for her degree, but Grammer isn't about to complain about her blossoming acting career.

"It's super exciting for me," shares the 25-year-old actress. "I don't know if I would have ever imagined how lucky I would be."

On "Greek," Grammer stars as Casey Cartwright, the sorority queen bee at fictional Cyprus-Rhodes University. The Los Angeles native confesses that she and her character are "pretty similar in a lot of ways," but there are also a few noticeable differences.

"I'm kind of more of a tomboy. I'm less girly," Grammer explains, before fully getting to the root of their differences.

"I kind of walk manly!" she quips, laughing.

The young star hails from some rather impressive genes, with her father being actor Kelsey Grammer. In fact, she first graced the small screen when she appeared as a child on her father's hit series "Cheers." But while Grammer was enjoying the excitement of her breakout "Greek" role, she was also experiencing several challenges in her personal life — the loss of a grandmother and grandfather, as well as her father suffering a heart attack last summer.

"It's just one of those years," she says of the hurdles.

Her father has since recovered and is doing much better, but Grammer admits, "It was scary there for a second." She explains that she dove into work to keep her mind preoccupied, but Grammer says that was a restless time dealing with her father's medical emergency.

"I still had to keep shooting after I found out," says Grammer, whose mother, Doreen Alderman, is her father's first wife. "Until I could leave it was hard. It's taught me that work is really important to me and how to get through it all."